Masahiro Tanaka returns to Japan after 7 seasons with the New York Yankees

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After seven years with the New York Yankees, free-agent right-hander Masahiro Tanaka announced on Thursday that he will return to Japan to pitch for the Rakuten Golden Eagles in the Nippon Professional Baseball League.

“I have decided to return to Japan and play for the Rakuten Eagles in the 2021 season,” Tanaka wrote. and Twitter. “I wanted to make sure and get in touch with you, and I want to thank you for all the love and support you have given me over the past 7 seasons.

“I feel extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to take the field as a member of the New York Yankees and play for all of you passionate fans. It was an honor and a privilege! Thank you so much!”

Tanaka, 32, comes from a season where he missed some time after being hit in the head by a shot from teammate Giancarlo Stanton in live batting practice, which just completed a seven-year, $ 155 million.

A two-time All-Star pick, Tanaka spent his seven MLB seasons as a starter for the Yankees from 2014 to 2020 and was one of the most consistent starting pitchers in the majors during that period, with 78-46 in 173 starts.

He went 3-3 with a 3.56 ERA, up from 4.45 in 2019, in 10 starts during the 2020 season, cut short by the pandemic.

Tanaka was found to have a partially torn ligament in his throwing elbow during the 2014 season, and from then on the Yankees sometimes tried to give him extra rest between starts. He earned a base salary of $ 22 million in the 2018 and 2019 seasons and $ 23 million in 2020.

He pitched well in the playoffs during his time in the Bronx, going 5-4 with a 4.18 ERA, 44 strikeouts and 15 walks in 10 starts and 54 innings. He had his best postseason run in 2017, when he was 2-1 with a 0.90 ERA, 18 strikeouts and three walks in 20 innings in the division series against Cleveland and the American League Championship Series against Houston.

Before joining the Yankees, Tanaka was 99-35 with a 2.30 ERA in seven seasons with the Rakuten Golden Eagles, striking out 1,238 in 1,315 innings.

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